CABINET STRUCTURE, HAVING VARIABLE SIZE, FOR ELECTRIC AND/OR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS

Abstract: A cabinet structure (10), provided for housing electric or electronic equipments, comprises a front cabinet (12, 52), a rear column (26) whose height can be varied according to the front cabinet (12, 52), structure fittings, such as a telescoping head (76) to be superimposed to the column (26), a plurality of grid bottom plates, also telescoping (24, 64), to be placed between two C-shaped profiles (20, 22) of a raceway (18, 58) connecting the front cabinet (12, 52) to the rear column (26), together with a T-shaped crossbeam (36), being the head (76) and the grid bottom plates (24, 64) telescoping to fit their width to the width of the front cabinet (12, 52) which can range between a simple width for cabinet structures to be installed near a wall and a double width for cabinet structures to be installed in the middle of a room.

Description: CABINET STRUCTURE, HAVING VARIABLE SIZE, FOR ELECTRIC AND/OR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS The present invention regards a cabinet structure to be employed for housing electric and/or electronic equipments as, for example, phone exchanges, multiplex equipments for transmitting eihter phone or data signals, or the like. Generally, these cabinet structures are comprised of a front cabinet, housing power supplies and signal generating machines and a room behind the cabinet for housing, fastened between a top beam and a bottom beam, a plurality of vertical frames, bearing the equipments, being the room defined between the front cabinet, a rear column, a top structure for bearing connecting cables and possible closing walls and doors for the entrance thereinto. A problem faced in providing these kinds of cabinet structures to manufacturers of electric and electronic equipments is the variability of some size which at present compels the supplier to hold a large inventory of components to satisfy the requirements of the customers, substantially consisting said components of front cabinets which can range, for example, from 2,600 to 2,200 mm, according to the installation of either traditional or compact equipments, and can be of either standard simple width (300 mm) or double width (600 mm), according to the fact that the cabinet structure is to be installed against a wall or in a middle of a room, being so expected either simple or double columns, respectively, of equipments to be installed in the rooms behind the front cabinet. It is an object of the present invention to reduce the problem of the number of components to be held in inventory, by making some of these components variable in size, so that can be indifferently installed in every kind of cabinet structure, as required by the customers. In the prior art EP-A-0 420 491 discloses and claims an equipment rack whose frame member vertical arms include means having the double purpose to define channels suitable to receive cable restraint devices and to serve as keyways to permit a telescopic sliding of upper arm portions with respect to lower arm portions in order to have a rack of variable height serving as a frame for a large variety of cabinets having a large range of heights. This approach, even if could have some interest because could provide just one adjustable frame for every kind of available cabinet, is not of specifical utility for the present invention because the standar heights of the cabinets to be used are just two (2,200 and 2,600 mm) and there is not specifical interest for intermediate heights. Further, the cabinets used in the present invention are usually frameless and selfsustaining and are not interested in such a kind of rack. The above mentioned problem is solved by using a rear column whose height can be regulated at the installation time between the maximum one expected for the traditional equipments and the minimum one expected for compact equipments and whose bottom and top ends can be of simple width for cabinets of simple standard width and of double width for cabinets of double standard width. The column solving the above mentioned problem is comprised of a first fixed shaft of height substantially equal to the minimum eight of the cabinets for compact equipments, comprising telescoped into the same a portion of slidable shaft and fastenable to the fixed shaft at different heights to equal the height of the front cabinet of the structure, provided with a simple foot, whose extension forms with the shaft a width similar to the width of the cabinet of simple standard width, to which foot can be added, fastened to it, a member protruding in opposite direction with respect to the foot to form, in assembly, a foot of width similar to the width of the cabinet of double standard width and with a simple head whose extension forms with the shaft a width similar to the width of the cabinet of simple standard width and, with the addition of a member thereto fastened, gains an extension corresponding to the double standard width. For a better operation of the invention, on the head of the column is installed an adapting head of telescoping kind comprised of two portions, of substantially equal width, inserted one into the other, and fastenable in two positions assuring to the same head two different sizes of the same order of the two standard widths of the front cabinets. To further improve the invention, on the cabinet structure is installed a raceway comprised of two C-shaped lateral profiles and provided with grid structured bottom plates, being these grid plates formed by two telescoping portions to embody, according to the each other taken positions, grids corresponding to either the cabinets of simple standard width or grids corresponding to the cabinets of double standard width. Particularly, the cabinets for traditional equipments have height of 2,600 mm and those for compact equipments have height of 2,200 mm. Also particularly, the simple standard width of the cabinets is 300 mm and the double standard width is 600 mm. The features of the present invention are defined in the claims forming the conclusive portion of the present description. However, other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof provided with the enclosed drawings in which like members are indicated by like numerals and in which: - Figure 1 depicts a frontal view of a cabinet of simple standard width for housing power supplies and/or signal generating machines; - Figure 2 depicts a lateral wiev of a structure, according to the invention, fastened to a cabinet of figure 1 and provided with a telescoping colunm; - Figure 3 depicts a rear view of the telescoping column depicted in figure 2; - Figure 4 depicts a rear view of the column foot; - Figure 5 depicts a bottom view of the foot itself; - Figure 6 depicts a rear view of the column head; - Figure 7 depicts a top view of the head itself; - Figure 8 depicts a frontal view of a cabinet of double standard width, for housing power suppliers and/or signal generating machines; - Figure 9 depicts a lateral wiev of a structure, according to the invention, fastened to a cabinet of figure 8 and provided with a telescoping colunm; - Figure 10 depicts a rear view of the telescoping column depicted in figure 9; - Figure 1 1 depicts a rear view of the column foot; - Figure 12 depicts a bottom view of the foot itself; - Figure 13 depicts a rear view of the column head; - Figure 14 depicts a top view of the head itself; - Figure 15 depicts a telescoping head to be mounted on the head of the column; - Figure 16 depicts a telescoping grid to be provided to the bottom of a raceway mounted on the cabinet structure of the present invention; - Figure 17 depicts a raceway structure accomodating every cabinet structure of the invention, and - Figure 18 depicts a T-shaped crossbeam particularly useful in the present invention. Looking first at figures 1 to 3, it is seen that a cabinet structure 10, to be installed against a wall, comprises a front cabinet 12 of simple standard width, provided to house power suppliers and/or signal generating machines, leaning against a wall 14 and on a floor 16, bearing on the top a raceway 18 formed by two side C-shaped profiles supporting grid bottom plates 24. At some distance from the front cabinet 12 is placed a column 26 comprising a first fixed shaft portion 28 into which is telescoped a second shaft portion 30 fastenable in preset positions determined by means per se well known to people skilled in the art of metal structures. The column 26 is provided with a foot 32 and a head 34, obviously serving the foot 32 to lean the column itself on the floor 16 and the head 34 to support a end of the raceway 18 and of an upper crossbeam 36, fastened at the other end to the cabinet 12, to allow passage and distribution of cables from and to the cabinet 12 and the equipments housed in the structure 10 and for fastening frames bearing equipments between the upper crossbeam 36 and a lower crossbeam 38. As seen in figures 4 and 5, the foot 32 is formed by a first base member 40 connected by square flanges 42 and 44 welded to the fixed shaft 28. As seen in figures 6 and 7, the head 34 is formed by a first cross member 46 fastened, for example by welding to the movable telescoping shaft 30. Looking at figures 8 to 10, it is seen that a cabinet structure 50, to be installed in the middle of a room, comprises a front cabinet 52, of double standard width, provided for housing power suppliers and/or signal generating machines leaning on a floor 16, bearing on the top a raceway 58 formed by two C-shaped side profiles 20 and 22 supporting grid bottom plates 64. At some distance from the front cabinet 52 is placed a column 26 comprising a first portion of fixed shaft 28 into which is telescoped a second portion of movable shaft 30 fastenble in preset positions determined by means per se well known to people skilled in the art of metal structures. The column 26 is provided with a foot 72 and a head 74, obviously serving the foot 72 to lean the column itself on the floor 16 and the head 74 to support a end of the raceway 58 and of an upper crossbeam 36, fastened at the other end to the cabinet 52, to allow passage and distribution of cables from and to the cabinet 52 and the equipments housed into the structure 50 and for fastening frames bearing equipments between the upper crossbeam 36 and a lower crossbeam 38. Actually, on the head 74 is fastened a telescoping head 76 which is also present in the case of the simple cabinet 12 but can be hardly seen because has substantially the same extension of the head 34, while in the second case of the double cabinet, it is clearly seen because has an extension of the same order of the cabinet 52, which is well wider than the head 74 to allow a proper distance for the side C-shaped profiles 20 and 22 forming the raceway 58. As visible in figures 1 1 and 12, the foot 72 is formed by a first base member 40 connected by means of square flages 42 and 48 welded to the fixed shaft 28 and by a second additional base member 80 provided with two square flanges 82 and 84 welded to the same member 80 and fastenable by means of, for example bolts 83 and 85, to the shaft 28 itself in order to substantially double the extension of the foot 72 with respect to the foot 32. As visible in figures 13 and 14, the head 74 is formed by a first cross member 46 fastened, for example by means of welding, to the movable telescoping shaft 30 and by a second additional member 86 provided with two square flanges 88 and 90 welded to the member 86 itself and fastenable by means of bolts 89 and 91 to the shaft 30 in order to substantially double the extension of the head 74 with respect to the head 34. Let us refer to figure 15 depicting in detail the telescopic head 76 already visible enough in figure 10. The head 76 consists of two members 110 and 1 12 of which the second 112 is telescoping into the first one 1 10, so that when it is completely inserted reaches a length of the same order of the simple cabinet 12 and when is substantially extended reaches a width equal to the double cabinet 52. The two members 110 and 1 12 consist of two parallelepiped shaped shells provided with bottom lands 1 14 and 1 16 and top frames 1 18 and 120, being the bottom lands provided with hole assemblies 122 and 124 respectively, to permit the passage of fastening means, such as screws or bolts, to the underlying head 34 or 74 of the column 22. Of course the hole assemblies 1 18 and 120 are arranged in such a way that, when the two members 110 and 112 are completely collapsed, they each other coincide as a single assembly. The frames 118 and 120 are provided with apertures 126 and 128, 130 and 132 respectively, housing on the bottom in proper seats nuts or similar means to allow engagement with the screws or bolts themselves for the fastening of the side profiles 20 and 22 of the raceways 18 or 58, as visible in the figures 1 to 3 and figures 8 to 10. On an internally faced side the members 1 10 and 1 12 are provided with hole assemblies 134 and 136 respectively, allowing the engagement of fastening members for the upper crossbeam 36, the hole assemblies having to each other coincide when the two members 110 and 112 are completely collapsed. Let us refer to figure 16 depicting one of the grid bottom plates 24 or 64 of the raceway 18 or 58. Like to the telescoping head 76 also these grid bottom plates are formed by two each other telescoping members 140 and 142 which when are completetly collapsed form the narrow grid 24 and when sustantially extended form the wide grid 64, as intuitively depicted by the double arrow shown in the figure. The member 140 shows a large bottom surface 144, provided with a plurality of properly arranged windows 146, serving to the passage of cables, and an inside faced frame 148 interruped along the side allowing the insertion of the member 142 into the member 140. The member 142 shows a large bottom surface 150, provided with a plurality of properly arranged windows 152, serving to the passage of cables, and an inside faced and integral frame 154 improving the stiffness of the member 142 itself and its telescopic sliding into the member 140. Of course, the pluralities of windows 146 and 152 are sized and arranged in such a way to substantially coincide when the two members are completely inserted. The figure 17 shows how is formed the raceway 18 or 58 to be installed on the simple cabinet 12 or the double cabinet 52, respectively. The raceway is formed by two C-shaped side profiles 20 and 22 having body portions 160 and 162 provided with lightening windows 164 and 1667, respectively, and folded upper and lover stiffening edges 168 and 170, 172 and 174, respectively. As visible in the figure, the raceway leans, at the front side, through the bottom edges 170 and 174 of the two profiles 20 and 22 on the cabinet 12 or 52 and at the rear side on the telescoping head 76 which, obviously will be completely either collapsed or extended and it is realized that on the same bottom edges 170 and 174 will lean the grid bottom plates 24 or 64 either collapsed or extended according to the present cabinet 12 or 52. At last, the figure 18 shows an example of upper crossbeam 36 which inthe specific case is a T-shaped profilate having a solid head 180 and a leg 182 provided with a plurality of holes 184 used to fasten vertical frames bearing equipments to be housed in the cabinet structure of the invention. The utility of the present invention consists mainly in the great number of components usable through simple modifications for both simple cabinets 12 and double cabinets 52. What has been hereabove disclosed describes a not limiting embodiment of the present invention of which can be devised obvious variations and alternative approaches to be intended as here covered. For example, the grid bottom plates 24 or 64, instead of be formed by bottom plates 144 and 150 pierced by windows 146 and 152, can be formed by rectangular frames whose opposed longer sides are connected by rounded crosspieces better respecting the integrity of the casbles passing through the grid themselves, being said crosspieces formed either by round rods welded to the longer sides of the frames or by folding, according to a relatively large radius, plate edges formed from the bottom plates 144 and 150. Further, it is not told that the cabinet structure 10 or 50 must be associated to just one room defined between the front cabinet 12 or 52 and a first column 26, but can be modularly repeated, by providing, in addition to the first column 26, other columns spaced and connected to the first column and to each other by crossbeams such as the crossbeams 36 and 38 depicted in the figures 2 and 9, and by raceways 18 or 58 formed by profiles 20 and 22 connected by grid bottom plates 24 or 64.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Variable size cabinet structure characterized by using a rear column (26) whose height can be set at the installation time between a maximum height expected for traditional apparatus and a minimum one expected for compact apparatus and whose foot ends (32, 72) and head ends (34, 74) can be either of simple size for cabinets (12) of simple standard width or of double size for cabinets (52) of double standard width. 2. Cabinet structure, as in claim 1 , characterized in that the column (26) comprises a fixed shaft (28) having substantially the minimum height of the cabinets for compact apparatus comprising, telescope inserted thereinto, a shaft portion (30) slidable and fastenable to the fixed shaft (28) at different heights to reach the height of the front cabinet (12, 52) of the structure, is provided with a simple foot (40), whose extension forms with the shaft (28) a size similar to the width of the cabinet of simple standard width, to which foot can be added, thereto fastened, a member (80) protruding in opposed direction with respect to said foot (40) to form a foot assembly (72) of width similar to the width of the cabinet (52) of double standard width, and with a simple head (46) whose extension forms with the shaft (28) the same size similar to the width of the cabinet (12) of simple standard width and which, with the addition of a member (80), thereto fastened, reaches an extension corresponding to the double standard width. 3. Cabinet structure, as in claim 2, characterized in that on the head (34, 74) of the column (26) is installed a adapting head (76) of telescopic kind formed by two parts (1 10, 1 12), of substantially equal width, each other inserted, and fastenable in two positions giving the head (76) itself two sizes of the same order of the two standard widths of the front cabinets (12, 52). 4. Cabinet structure, as in claim 3, characterized in that on the cabinet structure is provided a cable supporting raceway (18, 58), formed by two lateral C-shaped profiles (20, 22), provided with grill structured bottoms (24, 64), being these grill bottoms ' (24, 64) formed by two parts ( 140, 142) each other telescope insertable to form, according to the reciprocal arrangement, either grills corresponding to the cabinets (12) of simple standard width or grills corresponding to the cabinets (52) of double standard width. 5. Cabinet structure, as in claim 4, characterized in that the grill bottoms (24, 64) are provided for their telescoping portions (140, 142) with bottom surfaces consisting of rectangular frames whose longer sides are each other connected by rounded crosspieces. 6. Cabinet structure, as in claim 5, characterized in that said rounded crosspieces are formed by round rods to be welded to the longer sides of the rectangular frames. 7. Cabinet structure, as in claim 5, characterized in that said round crosspieces are formend by bending according to a relatively large radius the edges formed in the bottom surfaces themselves. 8. Cabinet structure, as in claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cabinets for traditional apparatus are 2600 mm in height and the cabinets for compact apparatus are 2200 mm in height. 9. Cabinet structure, as in claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the simple standard width of the cabinets (12) is 300 mm and the double standard widht of the cabinets (52) is 600 mm.

Inventors: FOSCHINO CARMINE DI, FOSCHINO, CARMINE +DI
Applicants: CMS COSTR MECCAN SESTESI SRL, FOSCHINO MAURIZIO & HM, C.M.S. COSTRUZIONI MECCANICHE SESTESI S.R.L, FOSCHINO, MAURIZIO +HM
Application year: 1994
Main classification: H05K7
IPC codes: G12B9, H02B1, H04Q1, H05K7